1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of smart cards, and more specifically of smart cards forming an e-purse which are intended to be preloaded or reloaded with fiduciary values which are then debited from the card along uses.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Such smart cards forming an e-purse can integrate other functions, for example, that of conventional credit cards, cash retrieval cards, etc.
The present invention more specifically applies to the management of voucher payment operations, in particular in catering-type services. In this application, the present invention especially aims at enabling use of e-purse cards of conventional architecture.
FIG. 1 schematically shows in the form of blocks a conventional example of a smart card 1 (E) forming an e-purse having a fiduciary value totalization counter 2 (COUNT) debited by a distant reader 3. In FIG. 1, the debit operation of counter 2 has been very schematically symbolized on the side of reader 3 by a block 4 (DEB). In practice, reader 3 generally checks the authenticity of card 1, checks that the fiduciary value balance present in counter 2 is sufficient for the desired debit, then decreases the count of counter 2.
On the side of card 1, in the application to electronic payment, the components essentially are an operation processing and control circuit 5 (CT), a memory 6 dedicated to storing a history (HIST) of the payment operations performed by the card, and counter 2. The history of the operations on the card side is stored in memory 6 as a stack, be it for credit operations, that is, increments to the balance of counter 2 (card reloading) or for debit operations (purchases made by means of the card). Most often, memory 6 is then divided into two areas respectively dedicated to reload and spending histories.
Cards of e-purse type are capable of being reloaded with fiduciary values (generally, monetary), then debited along purchases in shops.
However, current systems do not enable operations with vouchers, which have the characteristic of having an indivisible fiduciary value and/or of having an expiry date. For example, vouchers used for catering services have a predetermined value and are only valid for a given time.
It would be desirable to have an electronic system of smart card type to avoid handling paper vouchers as is currently the case. A problem then is that, unless a significant calculation capacity is available, smart cards do not enable calendar management.
Now, for reasons of security against fraud, it is not desirable to suppress the calendar limits of vouchers or the like.
Further, vouchers generally comprises a serial number (successive or not), often per book.
Another problem particularly present in simplified smart cards of e-purse type is that a single totalization counter is available on the card and that the organization of the available memory is pre-established as a stack. Further, recordings cannot be selectively erased, which thus does not enable suppressing vouchers beyond their expiry date.